According to The Sun, there has been a rift since Chelsea skipper John Terry was accused of calling Ferdinand, a "f***ing black ****" in a 2011 game, although Terry was cleared of race abuse in court after team-mate Cole, 32, backed his account.

The report added that Ferdinand later snubbed a pre-match handshake with both of the players.

According to sources, the pair were separated by their friends with Cole's England team-mate Andy Carroll appearing to put a protective arm across him to keep the men apart, while another man did the same to Ferdinand to stop a fight from breaking out.

A source said that there was no row, no confrontation between the players, who just exchanged words with each other. (ANI)